Online daters behave similarly to those who meet face-to-face, say researchers. People who lie on online dating services are most likely people-pleasers who want to present themselves in the most favourable light to get someone to like them, and this is no different from what they would do in person, according to a University of Kansas research. Usually what people lie about depends on what kind of people they are. For example, if you're an extrovert, you might downplay the number of past relationships you’ve had because chances are you've had more relationships than an introvert.
Those most likely to lie during online dating experiences are "high self-monitors" or people who have an acute sense of what people like and control their behaviour to achieve social ends. Their actions are not necessarily manipulative but rather reflect a desire to be liked and to fit in.
The study involved a survey of more than 5,000 participants in a national Internet matchmaking service to determine what kinds of people are most likely to lie during the online dating process. They were asked how likely they were to lie about topics such as assets, relationship goals, personal interests, personal attributes, past relationships, age and weight etc.
In the study, men admitted to lying more overall, but women were most likely to lie about their weight. Because online daters hope to meet face-to-face eventually, the amount of lying is quite small. Online daters shouldn't be concerned that most people are presenting a false impression of themselves. What influences face-to-face dating influences the online world too, observe the researchers.
|
